Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Bridgewater-Raritan hosts Ridge in Courier News Football Game of the Week

The fifth-seeded Ridge High School football team is eyeing a return to the NJSIAA North 2 Group V title game, but first it has to get through top-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan.

The Red Devils last won a state title in 2013 with a 48-13 win over Union, while the Panthers are looking for their first state final appearance in program history. The two teams will meet tonight in the semifinals at 7 p.m. at Basilone Field.

“It’s great, the guys worked very hard in the offseason, they’re a great group of kids, they’ve overcome a lot, we had a decent amount of injuries and other challenges but they kept sticking together and forging ahead,” Ridge coach Bill Tracy said of his team. “With this group they want to play as long as they can. Playoff football is always exciting and the practices have been great.”

Ridge (6-4) dispatched fourth-seeded Elizabeth 42-28 in the quarterfinals as Ben Rengulbai rushed 27 times for 111 yards and four touchdowns, and Kermit Hoffman chipped in two touchdowns and 89 rushing yards. Quarterback Duncan Roberts completed 11 of 12 passes for 131 yards.

“We beat a really good team in Elizabeth and our guys have confidence now winning a big game like that on the road and hopefully we’ll gain some momentum from that,” Tracy said.

This season Roberts has thrown for a total of 1,928 yards and 17 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Hoffman leads the team with 40 catches for 686 yards and six touchdowns. Matt Rusniak has 25 catches for 421 yards and five touchdowns. But as with most teams, the Red Devils get most of their work done on the ground. Hoffmann has rushed for 625 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Rengulbai has 12 touchdowns and 798 rushing yards.

Bridgewater-Raritan (10-0) is currently enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory and is coming off a 41-14 victory over No. 8 East Orange in the quarterfinals. The Panthers finished the regular season at 9-0 for the first time in program history and won their first conference title since 1993. The next step is a North 2 Group V crown.

Quarterback Eric Nickel has thrown for 1,642 yards and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions. He leads the team with eight touchdowns on 547 yards rushing, while Jon Kaye has caught 66 passes for 257 yards and five touchdowns.

Ricky Tate has caught 31 passes for 535 yards and five touchdowns, while Nick Attanasio has four touchdowns.

These two teams are familiar with one another as they faced off on Nov. 6 with Bridgewater-Raritan taking a 47-27 victory. The 27 points are the second-most points allowed by the Panthers this season. Hoffman caught three passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns and rushed eight times for 39 yards and one touchdown. Rengulbai was the main threat with 27 carries for 180 yards and one touchdown.

“We had a very good game together two weeks ago and they did a nice job at the end of the third quarter and the fourth quarter, they pulled away from us a little bit,” Tracy said. “We know they have a lot of ability, Scott (Bray) does a great job with the staff, they’re very well prepared, they have very good players, team speed, so we’ll have a great challenge with that and it’ll be a great opportunity for our kids to see how far we’ve come in a two week period, hopefully we’ll do better and put four quarters together and see how it ends up.”

David Usewick was Bridgewater-Raritan’s main weapon, with 14 carries for 102 yards and one touchdown. Ray Bellaran, Kaye, Nickel and Ethan Rodgers combined for 104 rushing yards and each scored a TD.

Bridgewater-Raritan has proven it can score on the ground or in the air, so Ridge will need to play its best defensive game of the season and hope that its offense can find holes in a Panthers defense that has allowed 139 total points this year.

“I think it’s good for us so we know what we’re up against and I think we know what it’s going to take,” Tracy said of facing the Panthers twice in two weeks. “We understand they’re a great team but there were plenty of snaps in the last game where our kids played very well and we’ll build on that.”